SHAPE UP
Resolve to stick to resolutions
By Charles Stuart Platkin
It happens every Jan. 1.
That's the one day we make a commitment to "making a change."
In fact, nearly half of all American adults undertake a behavior-change program starting that same day. We're ready to get going, yet most of us will not make it past the first week. And according to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, even among those who make serious attempts at change, 30 percent will drop out within two weeks and less than half will make it past six months.
Not very encouraging, is it? Yet, by following a few simple tips we can significantly increase our odds of losing weight and keeping it off in the New Year.
DON'T WAIT
Don't wait until Jan. 1 to plan your resolution. If you don't make your resolution in advance, you reduce your chances of success.
BE REALISTIC
Those who make a "serious" (and realistic) resolution to change are 10 times more likely to succeed than those who make half-hearted or overly ambitious attempts and don't put together a plan in advance. "Take your resolutions seriously or don't make them at all," says John C. Norcross, professor of psychology at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and New Year's resolution researcher. "Those who are serious increase their odds of success in the future while those who aren't decrease their chances," he adds.
BELIEVE IT
According to Norcross, feeling confident that you can change a behavior is the single biggest predictor that you will be able to change. It's called "self-efficacy," or an individual's belief in his or her ability to succeed at something — in this case, changing an ingrained negative pattern.
GETTING READY
Are you ready to make a change? It takes more than just saying you would like to lose weight. You have to think about it before you start.
"It's all about preparation," says Norcross. One basic resolution-setting piece of advice is to make sure you set realistic, specific goals and have a written plan of action. Goal-setting is the cornerstone of successful weight loss. That means planning the details and mapping them out in writing. We spend days planning our vacations and from six to nine months planning a wedding, which is a four- to six-hour event. Yet when it comes to losing weight, we tend to "wing it" and not tip the odds in our favor by planning and setting goals.
RELAPSE PREVENTION
Keep in mind that a slip doesn't have to become a fall, nor does a lapse have to become a relapse. Unsuccessful weight-maintainers tend to have an "all or nothing" attitude and view a single "bad" eating situation as verification that they just can't lose weight.
"On the other hand, a successful weight-loss maintainer (or a person who succeeds in changing his or her behavior) thinks in advance about situations and obstacles that might cause brief breakdowns, such as having a bag of chips or the weekly doughnut gathering in the office," says G. Alan Marlatt, director of the University of Washington's Addictive Behaviors Research Center in Seattle.
Marlatt recommends coming up with a relapse prevention plan before Jan. 1. Think about problems you might encounter that will cause you to slip up, and have a plan. Come up with strategies to avoid the slip-up, as well as a plan of action to follow if you do slip up.
"It takes months, not days or weeks, to establish a change," says Marlatt. In addition, "Resolutions are a process, not a one-time effort, and even if people are successful, they need to follow up on their behavior over the years."
THINK POSITIVE
State your New Year's resolution in positive terms. Don't say things like "I need to stop eating junk food" or "I will never watch television again" or "I'm not going out to dinner three nights a week any more." Pick things that are positive, such as "I'm going to start eating low-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream" or "I will start taking walks in the evening." Why? "It's easier to install new behaviors than to simply get rid of old ones," explains Norcross.
VANQUISH NEGATIVE CUES
Before Jan. 1 comes around, check out your personal food environment. Those who make successful weight-loss resolutions review and change their surroundings by removing the cues that cause them to overeat and not exercise. They use stimulus control — for instance, not getting their morning coffee at the bakery, or removing "diet buster" foods and take-out menus from their homes. That doesn't mean overhauling your entire life — it just means you should remove people, places and things that throw you off track, but within reason.
And don't just remove negative stimuli or cues — increase positive ones. For example, hang out with people who are supportive of your weight loss efforts, surround yourself with healthy foods, post reminder notices that you "can lose weight," buy a pedometer, join a gym and make your personal environment weight-loss friendly.
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate. Write to info@thedietdetective.com.
